NetGalley Badges

25 Book Reviews Frequently Auto-Approved Professional Reader

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Loving the Wild Ones



This story has many sensitive topics.  It contains many trigger warnings: child endangerment, abandonment, abduction, human trafficking, prostitution, abuse (physical, mental, emotional, verbal, sexual), rape, misogyny, suicide, death, grief, victim’s guilt, blood, bullying, and violence.

TITLE: The Wild Ones

AUTHOR: Nafiza Azad
PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry Books
RELEASE DATE: August 3rd, 2021

GENRES: YOUNG ADULT FICTION---Fantasy
BUY LINK: https://bookshop.org/a/11727/9781534484962

Released: August 3, 2021

The Wild Ones is one of the most interesting and beautiful books that I have read this year.  Author Nafiza Azad has written a book that looks at what it means to be female and deal with your demons and vulnerabilities.  This book is magical and the writing is superb! 

We meet the Wild Ones, a group of young women who are diverse and beautiful. They are named Paheli, Valentina, Sevda, Widad, Daraja, Kamboja, Areum, Talei, Etsuko, Ghufran, and Ligaya.   I like they come from all over the planet.  They move as one sisterhood, but they each have their own voice and personalities.  You learn more about them through the Book of Memories, whose pages are dispersed throughout the book.  What I love most about this book is the sisterhood between the Wild Ones.  Each comes from a difficult situation and they refuse to be victims again.  

The magic system and the magical creatures are unique to anything that I have previously read.  They help to keep the reader engaged in the story.  But the real star of this book is the writing.  As we are wrapping up the Olympics, I want to give a gold medal to Naiza Azad.  This book is simply beautiful.  She alternates between plot-based narrative and stream of consciousness writing, along with excerpts from this Book of Memory.  It has a poetic, flowery feel.  I know that is not everyone's cup of tea, but I dig it and it works so well for this story.

While parts of this book are heartbreaking and sad, it is not a sad story.  It is about this sisterhood of young women, who are brave and strong.  I enjoyed every bit of this book. As part of the Turn the Page Book Tour, I created a playlist inspired by this book.  This playlist has 12 songs: one for each Wild One and one for the author; it is music from around the world to represent the diversity of the Wild Ones and the cities they visit. Click this Spotify link to take a listen: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7wPnEF3FSXwHmkhVqRKsgu?si=43c2464138a443ce

Rating: 💖💖💖💖.5/5

SYNOPSIS:

Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing. With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered. Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.

Author Nafiza Azad


AUTHOR INFORMATION


Nafiza Azad is a self-identified island girl. She has hurricanes in her blood and dreams of a time she can exist solely on mangoes and pineapple. Born in Lautoka, Fiji, she currently resides in British Columbia, Canada where she reads too many books, watches too many K-dramas, and writes stories about girls taking over the world. Her debut YA fantasy was the Morris Award–nominated The Candle and the Flame. The Wild Ones is her second novel.




Friday, August 6, 2021

Oooh, That Black Boy Joy!

Release Date: August 3, 2021


There have been several books touting the magical magnificence of Black Girl Magic.  From a Phoenix First Must Burn to one of my personal favorites, Legendborn.  Now Kwame Mbalia, author of the Tristan Strong series, has edited an amazing collection of stories celebrating Black Boyhood.  This book is entitled, Black Boy Joy. As an Aunt of 7 boys, this book makes me want to squeal with glee. 

Great, fantastic, beautifully melanated authors like P. Djeli Clark, B.B. Alston, Tochi Onyebuchi, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, and Jason Reynolds, have written stories, poems, and comics that celebrate the joy and power of Black Boyhood.  

Too often, Black boys are asked to grow up way too soon.  And we know that society paints them with stereotypes as soon as they can speak and walk.  But this book strips all of that away. These writings are about the happy, the exciting, the new, the unexpected, and most importantly, the love.
If you have Black Boy in your life, I highly recommend this book to you to give to them. 
Also, you know I had to create a playlist! This playlist embodies the essence to of Black Boy Joy.  It's a mood and a vibe...let it wash over you.
Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖/5
Author Kwame Mbaila



All about the Witches...

Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck I picked this up because it was romance and had witches in it. S/N I will give anything that has wi...